Bend and Not Break
by meredith230
Summary: It's Chuck and Blair, married. Not a heavy M. It's a bit fluffy of course.


_And try to understand there's an old mistake that fools will make _

_And I'm the king of them, pushing everything that's good away _

_So won't you hold me now? _

_Won't you hold me now?_

It had only been four months since their big day. Four months since Chuck looked deep into her eyes, said, "I do," and kissed her for the entire world to see. Four months since they walked back down the aisle, together, as they were announced Mr. and Mrs. Charles Bartholomew Bass. Four months since their incredible honeymoon that they spent tangled between the sheets and with each other, only stopping to skinny dip in the clear blue waters on their private beach and devour the fresh fruit and champagne that was delivered to their villa daily.

Most people said they were crazy, getting married at just 21. Sure they were financially stable, but she was not even finished college and he was so wrapped up in Bass Industries that free time was an extremely rare occurrence. But none of this mattered to them. The media and Gossip Girl and mostly everyone they knew could critique the union all they wanted, but Chuck and Blair were happy with their decision and knew that those close to them would be too. On the big day, Serena was the proudest and most tearful Maid of Honor that the UES had ever seen, and Nate was happy that two of his best friends had found a happiness that many people would never even experience. And in the front row sat the proud parents, Eleanor, Harold, Roman, Cyrus and Lily, each crying tears of joy that Chuck and Blair had finally quit the games and decided to be together forever. The most important people there, however, were Chuck and Blair themselves. When they stood at the alter together there were no regrets, only excitement to be each other's forever.

But that seems like ages ago now. The first three months were easy, but this past month had been quite the opposite. Of the last thirty days, Chuck had been away on business for twenty-three of them. And when he wasn't away from the city, he spent long days at the office away from her, and she spent hours in the library trying to get all of her schoolwork done. Blair simply missed her husband. They emailed, texted and video chatted every single day, but she missed spending quality time with him. Blair knew this was coming of course, as she had lived with the man since she was 18 and some months were far busier than others. All this, coupled in with the fact that it was now April, and Blair was at the very end of her last semester at NYU. She was knee deep in finals, interviewing for jobs, and most importantly, helping Eleanor plan her graduation party. The party she envisioned sharing with the loving man in her life. But now, as she looked down at the tabloid in front of her, she was afraid that wouldn't happen.

"RECENTLY MARRIED CHUCK BASS STEPS OUT WITH MYSTERY WOMAN IN HONG KONG" read the headline. Blair discovered the magazine on a newsstand earlier that morning on the way into class, and nearly broke down at the mere sight of it. Each time she looked at it she was overcome with a different emotion- first came the tears, then the rage, then the _really_ uncontrollable rage, and now she was back to the tears and extreme sadness. How could Chuck even do this to her? Every conversation they'd had while he was away had been filled with their mutual hate for the time spent apart and how excited they each were to be back in each other's arms. Blair knew Chuck would be home any minute, and while she had originally planned for a candlelit and rose petal filled penthouse to be awaiting him, things had changed drastically.

Just then, Blair heard a key enter the doorknob, followed by the familiar and once comforting sound of Chuck finally coming home and back to her. As Chuck crossed the threshold into their apartment, Blair was struck with a range of emotions. She was stunned at his smiling, happy face. How could he be so happy when he had been lying to her for so long? Blair also felt completely defeated; her entire marriage could potentially change forever at the end of the conversation she was about to have, and she was worried it wouldn't end well. Blair was surprised, however, at the small bit of joy she felt. The same joy and excitement that she felt every time he came home was still there.

It took less than a few seconds for Chuck to look at his wife and realize that something was wrong. She was sitting quietly at their kitchen counter with tear-stained cheeks and dressed in a large t-shirt and sweatpants. There were no candles, no roses, no soft music and definitely no lingerie. Chuck always said that he didn't need those things each and every time he came home, but this was the first time that Blair had actually taken him up on his offer. Clearly something was wrong.

As soon as all this registered, Chuck raced to his wife's side. "Baby, what's wrong? Did you not get my voice mail that I made it onto the plane safely? My phone was not acting up to it's usual standard during the entire trip so I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't get it. I will be sure to have Erica call the company first thing tomorrow and—"

"What the fuck is this Chuck?" Chuck was cut off by a seething Blair. Her sadness had instantly disappeared and made way for a new, more hostile emotion. She was pointing furiously down to the picture of Chuck and the blonde in Hong Kong. As Chuck looked down at the picture, his emotions changed too. What started out as concern quickly shifted and he walked into his study to pour himself a scotch.

"Chuck, are you fucking kidding me right now? How dare you walk away from me! First you leave me for 23 days this month, and to top it all off you fuck someone else while you're there!"

"What did you say? I fucked someone else?" Blair was shocked to see her husband slightly amused at her accusation. "Don't you know who that is?" Chuck asked, holding the magazine in Blair's face.

"Charles Bass, you are repulsive. Are you proud of yourself? No I don't know who that is, besides knowing that she's a wretched tramp who screws married men and has no regard for—"

"Blair. Look at the fucking picture again. Don't you know who that is?"

Blair looked down at the picture she had looked at more than fifty times already. All she saw was Chuck sitting at a bar with a pretty blonde who looked a lot like…"Oh my God. It's Marguerite Armstrong."

"Yes Blair, it's Marguerite Armstrong. You know the CEO of the Armstrong Group? She was a fucking deb just a few years before you were and even graduated from god damn Constance."

Suddenly Blair remembered. Chuck had received a phone call a few weeks prior asking him to be part of a photo shoot in Hong Kong with other young CEO's. While Chuck initially wanted no part of it, Blair convinced him to do it. His trips were always pure business, and he would come home drained and exhausted. When Blair heard about the photo shoot, which was planned when the magazine got wind of many different business trips all converging in Hong Kong on the same weekend, Blair had figured that it would be good for Chuck to relax and spend some time with people he knew while he was away. Blair even remembered the conversation she had with Chuck just two days before. He had told her about the photo shoot, and how they shot the young CEO's all around some of the trendiest shopping, clubs, restaurants and even bars throughout Hong Kong. How on earth could she be so stupid? She looked to the picture once more, and was stunned that she didn't immediately realize that the picture was not only of Chuck and Marguerite, but that it was completely staged. Someone must have leaked one of the negatives from the shoot to the press.

"I am so stupid," Blair suddenly said, not even a few moments before she burst into hysterical tears. It had been such a long few days. Between her exams and missing Chuck, she was exhausted. And now, to top it all off, she was mortified. How could she make such an accusation? Against Chuck? Even though most of New York City would probably disagree with her, Blair knew deep down that Chuck would never cheat on her. Be a complete ass sometimes, of course. But cheating was not nor ever would be his style. He loved Blair way too much for that. A new wave of tears suddenly overtook Blair's body.

"Chuck, I am so sorry. I am repulsed by myself right now," Blair choked out through her uncontrollable sobs. "I know you, and I know you would never do that to me. I am in shock that I'd ever assume that and…"

Immediately, Chuck took Blair in his arms. He pulled her head in against his chest and let her cry. He knew how hard this month had been for him, and by the looks of it, for Blair too. Of course he was livid that Blair could even think for a second that he would do something so horrible to her, but for now he let her cry in his arms, and strangely enough, relished the feeling of having her back where she belonged.

"Come on B, let's go to bed."

Blair looked up at Chuck for reassurance, and her husband gave her a quick kiss on the forehead, took her hand, and led her to their bedroom. Chuck had been with Blair long enough that he knew exactly how she needed to cope with this. Unlike Chuck, who preferred dealing with any problem or argument with sex, Blair was a bit different. Sometimes, if the fight was bad, especially if it was her fault, Blair would feel, in her words, "like a cheap whore" if Chuck tried to immediately get her into bed to solve the problem. Chuck, however, could tell this time was different. When Blair was vulnerable and extremely upset with herself, she needed the love and attention that only her husband could give her.

When they walked into their master suite, Chuck wrapped his arms around his wife and engulfed her lips with his. He felt her relax into him and noticed her tears subsiding. Chuck stopped momentarily to wipe away each of the tear stains on her face, before kissing each and every spot where the proof of her sadness no longer remained.

Before long, Chuck laid Blair down on their bed, propping himself up above her. The tenderness from before was now gone and was replaced by a frantic want for each other. They ripped off each other's clothes and quickly familiarized themselves with every aspect of each other's body. Despite the earlier events, they had just been apart for a few days, and for Chuck and Blair, that equaled a lifetime. When they were both home, they made love constantly. It was strange to go a single day without it. The first time they were together after a business trip was always the same: quick, frenzied and… hot. They couldn't keep their hands off each other.

All of a sudden, Chuck entered Blair in one swift motion. They moaned together, out of relief and pure pleasure, and Chuck began a fast, pounding rhythm. Even when their sex was like this, there was no question that they were perfect for each other in every sense of the word.

Right before they finished, Blair flipped them over so that she was on top. She changed the pace so she was slowly rolling her hips, which elicited deep groans from Chuck. Blair continued to switch the rhythm from fast and frantic to slow and sensual, until finally, they both found their release together. Chuck moaned out Blair's name over and over, completely in awe of his beautiful wife.

"I love you, B," Chuck said, as he pulled Blair down next to him.

"I love you too Chuck. I always will, and I am so happy you're home."

Chuck spooned Blair from behind, periodically giving her soft kisses on the back of her neck until they both fell asleep. They each knew they would need to talk tomorrow so they could discuss all that had happened earlier that day. With this said, they both knew it would all be okay; they were Chuck and Blair and no two people were more meant for each other than they were.


End file.
